Oasis Would Like Taïm Falafel to Hit the Road

May 11, 2011

Given Taïm Mobile’s widespread popularity, it seems that everyone, everywhere loves its falafel. But you know who doesn’t? Restaurant owners who have to look at the truck outside of their windows.

Turns out that the Palestinian owner of Oasis, the tiny and superlative falafel shop next to the Bedford Avenue L stop, is none too pleased that Taïm (which is owned by Israelis) has taken to parking itself on Bedford in the evenings. This news comes from the Post, which, in its predictably nuanced way, reports that “Bedford Avenue is becoming the new West Bank.” Oasis’s falafel is $3, Taïm’s is $6.50. But Oasis’s owner, Ihab Jibril, says that the problem isn’t just falafel but the trucks as a whole: “hamburgers, coffee, ice cream, tacos, maybe they could just stay in the park. … It’s not fair for us. We pay a lot of rent and they don’t.”

In an impressive and ostensibly un-self-conscious display of irony, Ben Van Leeuwen, when asked for his opinion on the matter, told the Post that there’s plenty of room for everybody, and that Oasis’s “incredible prices” make him feel like he’s robbing them. Sounds like Oasis agrees, though not exactly for the same reasons.

Have a tip or restaurant-related news? Send it to fork@villagevoice.com.